Edna Mae Applegate

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Early Years in Crothersville

On December 16, 1894, beneath Indiana’s winter skies, Edna Mae Applegate entered the world in the little town of Crothersville. She was the daughter of George W. Applegate, a hard-working drayman, and Serilda White, a young mother balancing hope and hardship.

By the 1900 census, five-year-old Edna shared her home with her older siblings—John and Elsie—and her baby brother, George.

Her aunt, Cora White, was also part of the household, suggesting a close-knit extended family and confirming Serilda’s maiden name.

Home was a house George owned in Jackson County’s Vernon Township—a mark of modest prosperity in a rural town where every brick told a story.

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Young Bride in the Big City

Edna married John Edward Beyl on August 24, 1911, at the age of twenty in Indianapolis, Marion County. The city must have felt immense compared to her hometown, but Edna quickly set down roots.

She and Edward—known to some as John—welcomed their first daughter, Margaret Louise, in early 1913. A second daughter, Mildred Viola, followed in 1914.

By 1915, the young family lived in Columbus, Indiana, and Edna was photographed with her husband and two little girls.

That image, lovingly preserved by a great-granddaughter, is a window into a mother’s quiet strength—a glimpse of Edna’s love woven into every hemline and curl.

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Building a Home, One Address at a Time

Over the years, the Beyl family shifted frequently through Indianapolis neighborhoods, each address telling part of their economic and emotional journey. From Wilson Street to New Jersey Street, Edna kept her family stitched together through wartime, depression, and change.

More children joined the household: Charles, Mary Lou (born in 1929), and finally little Frederick, bringing the Beyl brood to six. Edna’s days were filled with laundry, lullabies, and perhaps the occasional sigh as the city’s noise hummed around her kitchen windows.

John was a Dispenser at a Bakery Company. Margaret was a Saleslady at a Dry Goods Retail Store.

In 1931, Edward and Edna lived at 329 S. Baet Street, Indianapolis, Indiana, according to the U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995. Edward was a Warehouseman at the time.

The U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995, shows Edward J. Beyl and Edna M. Beyl living at 221 Naomi, Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1933. John was a Baker at the time. Margaret and Mildred lived with them.

In 1935, Edward and Edna lived at 417 Parkway Ave., Indianapolis, Indiana, according to the U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995.

Per U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995, indicate that Edna and Edward Beyl resided at 230 S. East Street, Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1936. Edward was a Laborer at the time.

The U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995, shows Edward J. Beyl and Edna M. Beyl living at 1020 S. New Jersey, Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1937.

In the 1930s and 1940s, Edward worked a variety of jobs—from warehouseman to baker to elevator operator—while Edna maintained the home front. Through each move and census, she remained the quiet center of their ever-turning wheel.

Per U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995, indicate that Edna and Edward Beyl resided at 1020 S. New Jersey Street, Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1943. Edward was a Laborer at the time.

The U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995, shows Edward J. Beyl and Edna M. Beyl living at 1020 S. New Jersey Street, Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1945. Edward was an elevator operator with the Rubber Co. at the time.

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Final Years and Loving Farewell

By 1949, Edna’s body was losing its battle with breast cancer. She spent her final weeks in Indianapolis General Hospital, having fought bravely through a year-long illness complicated by pleural effusion. She passed away on March 8, 1949, at the age of 53, with Edward by her side. He served as the informant on her death certificate, a small but poignant symbol of their decades together.

Her obituary, clipped and saved like so many before it, told of her long residence in Indianapolis and her role as matriarch to five surviving children and eleven grandchildren.

It reports that she had been ill for 3 months before her passing.  She was born in Crothersville but had lived in Indianapolis for 31 years.  She was survived by her husband, Edward Beyl; three daughters, Margaret Collins, Mildred Buchanan, and Mary Lou Lee; two sons, Charles and Eugene Beyl; a sister, Elsie Tudor; two brothers, John and George Applegate; and 11 grandchildren.

She was laid to rest at Garland Brook Cemetery in Columbus, Indiana—next to her husband, her name carved beside his, a testament to the life they built.

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Legacy

Edna Mae Applegate may have started in a small town and lived much of her life in rented homes across Indianapolis. Still, she left behind a legacy that endures in stories, photographs, and descendants eager to know her. Her quiet resilience, maternal devotion, and steady hand during uncertain times helped shape generations to come.

If you’re a part of Edna’s story—or if she’s part of yours—please share your memories or discoveries over on her Introduction Page. Her story is still unfolding, and every thread you contribute helps weave a richer family tapestry.

With affection and ink-stained fingers,

~Kris

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🔍 Revisited by Bones

Edna Mae Applegate’s name first whispered to me from a brittle death certificate—a quiet exit after a long fight with illness. But oh, how the silence gave way to song as I followed the breadcrumbs of her life. She didn’t make headlines or raise a scandal, but what she did raise—children, homes, resilience—makes her unforgettable in the ways that matter most.

She was a woman of her time, yes, but also beyond it. Married young, she grew up while raising others, her life echoing across decades in city directories, census rolls, and children’s names. She moved often, yet remained the constant center. Her hands baked, mended, soothed, held. Her absence, I suspect, was felt in the corners of her home for years after she left it.

This wasn’t a tale of grandeur—it was a tale of grit. And love. And labor. And those, dear reader, are the bones history is made of.

To Edna,
The beating heart of a bustling home.
Gone too soon, but never far from the family table.

—Bones